F1 Today: Hamilton shares heartfelt message as Leclerc explains Mexico clash
Photo: Race Pictures
Kieran is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs and feature content across the F1 calendar. An NQJ-qualified journalist with more than a decade of experience, he has previously written for publications including MailOnline, the Manchester Evening News and the Eastern Daily Press.
From Lewis Hamilton posting a heartfelt statement after the Mexico City Grand Prix to Charles Leclerc giving his account of the clash between the two Ferrari drivers on Sunday, here are the biggest stories from the world of F1 on Tuesday, 3 November.
Hamilton shares heartfelt social media message
Following the drama of Mexico, Lewis Hamilton took to social media to congratulate new champion Kimi Antonelli, who became the youngest F1 title winner of all time at just the age of 20.
Hamilton said: "Let me start with a huge congratulations to the new champion, Kimi Antonelli. To have seen your journey so closely and to be there celebrating with you, was a highlight of my year. So well deserved and a record that will stand for a long time. It was great to see your team at Mercedes celebrating with you. Enjoy this moment, keep your family close, keep your passion and your energy."
Hamilton then spoke about Ferrari's issues during the race, as they lost a potential 1-2 due to the first lap battle between their two drivers: "Our own weekend was one full of challenges. We had a lot thrown at us but our mechanics and engineers did an incredible job. We’ve grown so much together this year, and that progress has taken a huge effort from everyone on the track and back at the factory. That’s why losing what could’ve been a win hurts so much.
ADVERTISEMENT
"We need to grasp every opportunity we have, so it’s incredibly frustrating, and I can’t pretend otherwise. I know what goes into giving us that opportunity. The standard the team holds itself to, the standard I hold myself to, the standard the fans expect."
Leclerc defends aggressive move on Hamilton
Leclerc led the way in FP1 (Photo: Race Pictures)
Charles Leclerc defended his aggressive battle with Lewis Hamilton in Mexico. He first tried to pass Hamilton around the outside of Turn 1, before they both ran wide when he tried the same move into Turn 4.
Leclerc was handed a time penalty while Hamilton lost position to eventual race winner Max Verstappen after running wide.
ADVERTISEMENT
Despite criticism that has been thrown his way, Leclerc insisted that neither driver was solely responsible for the incident.
He said: "We are fighting for the win, and so, of course, there's going to be very little margin left from him and from me. At the end, we both did a mistake going into turn four. It's not like we had contact or whatsoever. We both went straight."
Don’t miss GPblog in Google
Mark us as a preferred source and our articles will appear more often at the top of Top Stories.
Add as a preferred / source on Google